Less than a month after its formation, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition may be heading for the rock, following the self-declaration by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, as the interim National Chairman chairman of the party.

At formation, the party which was hitherto headed by Dr. Ralph Nwosu, was handed to former Senate President, David Mark, as the interim National  Chairman and the former Governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary, while former Minister of Youth and Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, was picked as the spokesperson.

The key opposition figures in the coalition are former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai; former Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and  former Director-General Progressives  Governors’ Forum (PGF),  Salihu M. Lukman, among others.  

However, some leading ADC members, including Dumebi Kachikwu, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, have kicked against the move, describing the decision to hand over the party to opposition figures as “illegal and unauthorised”.

Consequently, three members namely: Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji, Victor Tolu and Haruna Ismaila, headed to the court to challenge the decision.

In suit with number, FHC/ABJ/CS/1328/2025, filed on July 4th, the trio are asking the court to determine the legality of the interim leadership of the party.

They claimed that Chief Nwosu lacked the right to convene either a National Working Committee (NWC) or National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting or any other meeting, since his tenure as National Chairman of ADC had expired.

They also contended that the interim executives “cannot and should not act” in a leadership capacity, as they were appointed by an illegal meeting organised by a former National Chairman.

The plaintiffs, therefore prayed the court to declare as “unconstitutional, unlawful, null, and void”, the appointment of Mark, Aregbesola, and Abdullahi.

Explaining the reason behind his decision to the media in Abuja Thursday, Gombe hinged the decision on severe leadership crisis in the party, which, according to him, was orchestrated by those he described as “political hooligans and hijackers.” 

He accused the former ADC leaders of abandoning their constitutional duties and surrendering the party’s structures to “powerful outsiders” with no affiliation to the ADC, describing the development as an “unprecedented assault on democracy.”

The ADC chieftain condemned the alleged takeover as a “shoddily rehearsed political melodrama” aimed at facilitating the complete hijack of the party’s framework, and vowed to resist what he called a “total surrender and capitulation without precedent in Nigeria’s democratic history”.

He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise his leadership and uphold the sanctity of the ADC constitution.

Announcing his emergence, Gombe said: “I, Hon. Nafiu Bala, a bonafide member and a duly elected National Deputy Chairman of our great party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), wishes to draw the attention of the entire members of our great party and Nigerians at large, to the ongoing acts of political hooliganism being perpetrated by some individuals who were hitherto entrusted with the leadership of the party.

“We are all living witnesses to the show of shame and acts of lawlessness being displayed by these unscrupulous leaders, who without any qualm or sense of moral restraint plunged our party to a needless crisis and leadership uncertainty.

“The idea of mortgaging the future of our great party, by abdicating the constitutional duties and responsibilities of all elected officers of the party, to some powerful outsiders who never belong to the party, is condemnable.”

He reaffirmed his commitment to restoring constitutional order and internal democracy within the ADC.

“In the circumstance and also in furtherance of my constitutional mandate as the duly elected National Deputy Chairman of our great party, I now assume my constitutional duty and responsibility as the Interim National Chairman of our great party.” 

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to urgently step in to take due cognisance of this development.

He warned that if the alleged perpetrators continue to flout the party’s guidelines, the ADC would pursue legal action to challenge their “gross acts of impunity.

Reacting to the development, a senior ADC official, who pleaded anonymity, said the self-acclaimed national chairman from Gombe state earlier rejected a zonal position given to him.

He said: “The party will handle the matter. The young man in question rejected a zonal position assigned to him but the party will look at his grievances and take a position in the nearest future.

In a related development, the Lagos state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expelled its members that defected to the ADC.

The expulsion was announced Thursday by the spokesman of the PDP Elders Caucus and Chairmen in the 20 local government areas of the state, Mr. Segun Edwards.

He said a stakeholders meeting made up of elders of the party and chairmen of the party in the 20 local government areas of the state was held to discuss the outcome of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja last week.